Formerly known as YouTube Red, YouTube Premium is an ad-free streaming
service. Users who are up to switch to YouTube Premium will be able to
watch all the content and listen to music without ads and save the videos
for offline for only $12. But is it actually worth it? Let’s figure this
out together.

What do you get once you switch to YouTube Premium?

Since YouTube is generally a free video sharing service, a reasonable
question arises: what will I get if I switch to the paid version? Here are
the features of YouTube Premium:

No ads

This is the main feature of the Premium subscription. For some of the
YouTube users, this is the one and only reason for buying it. Sometimes,
ads in the videos are as long as the videos themselves, so it’s a big issue
for viewers. No need to tell that if earlier ads popped up only at the
beginning of a clip, now they appear through the whole timeline. If you’re
tired of constant annoying commercials and interruptions while watching
your favorite blogger, you should try the YouTube Premium.

Moreover, if it’s possible to switch off the ads on the desktop with
special browser extensions, the YouTube app gives no such an opportunity.
YouTube Premium turns off all the ads, including banners.

YouTube Originals

Recently, we’ve
talked
about YouTube Originals going free for all YouTube users. Until September
2019, YouTube Originals was available only for Premium members. Now the
vertical is ad-supported, which means that it’s free for everyone, but
Premium subscribers will enjoy original content without ads. But still,
because the Originals is now generally free, there’s no exclusivity in this
service any longer.

YouTube videos downloading

Since recently, YouTube Premium allows downloading videos and playlists in
1080p. Until this year, users could download videos in 720p only. The
feature is useful, especially for flights or underground commutes where
cellular service is poor. But again, you need to remember that the billing
for YouTube Premium is recurring. So if you download loads of YouTube
videos or, on the contrary, save a few in years, it’s better to utilize
cheaper (or free)
alternatives
where you don’t need to be charged monthly.

YouTube Music

This service is also available for free usage, but as you may already
guess, with ads. The ad-free version of YouTube Music is open to Premium
users. Premium subscription allows you to listen to tracks in the
background on your device. The library is rather extensive, and if YouTube
doesn’t find the song you’re looking for, the app searches for it in the
YouTube native app and plays it there.

Another interesting feature of YouTube Music is the location data. That
being said, that when you permit the app to use your location, it picks you
place-specific compilations like workout tracks if you’re in a gym.

Background play on smartphone or tablet

When you open another app on your mobile without turning off YouTube, the
video you’re watching will be played in the background on your device. This
feature works both on YouTube app and YouTube Music app.

Another side of the feature is that videos’ audio is played even if you
turn off the display on your phone. Nice add-on for those who like playing
their favorite channels as a backdrop while walking or jogging, for
instance. Without a Premium subscription, the video turns off.

How much does YouTube Premium cost?

If you decide to subscribe to YouTube Premium, after your free month trial
you are offered to either pay $12 per month for a personal plan or $18
adding not many than five of your family members older than thirteen years
of age. Students are exceptionally lucky, because their monthly billing is
almost half cheaper than the basic plan - $7 per month.

Is it worth the switch, really?

Only if you’re bone-tired of ads. Analyzing all the features offered by
YouTube Premium, it’s clear that it all boils down to the lack of
commercials, which is very convenient and nice, in fact, but everyone is up
to decide if $12 monthly is worth it.

YouTube Premium may be useful for those of you who like listening to music
on YouTube or playing favourite channels in the background online. If
that’s what you do on a regular basis, a paid YouTube plan will please you.
But if you’re thinking of switching to Premium only because of the saving
for offline feature, you may freely dismiss it.
4K Video Downloader
and
4K YouTube to MP3
are free alternatives for downloading YouTube content.